Venus entered Scorpio over the weekend. It remains there till December 29. On its own, there's nothing so unusual about this. The dates vary, but once a year, every year, Venus visits this sign. And if you go by the visible sky, using the star groups as marker points, you see a rather different picture. Venus is in the 'equal division of the ecliptic that we call Scorpio' not necessarily the constellation of the same name. Even so, it is relatively unusual to have Venus in Scorpio at Christmas. Those who plan to hang mistletoe should use it sparingly!

Hello Jonathan, Why does Aries have the least number of stars in its constellation and why does that bug me? PS. I'm an Aries. Lindsay

Dear Lindsay, 'Why' is never an easy question to answer. But I can at least promise that it is irrelevant here. Astrologers don't work with constellations. We use equal divisions of the 'ecliptic' or the path that the Sun, Moon and planets appear to follow through the sky. The constellations line this path but, although the zodiac signs we use are named after these, they don't align exactly and aren't quite the same thing!

Hello, Many times I have been out and about, running errands when strangers have come up to me and delivered advice. The other day, as I was leaving a shop, a gentleman approached. I thought he was going to ask for money but he just started to tell me why I should be happy to wake up every day. While I agreed with his sentiment, I can't help but wonder what motivates people to pass on these messages at random moments. Do you feel this could be some sort of divine intervention, delivered through mortals? Teresa

Dear Jonathan,
I feel I've been given false hope. I met a really nice man. He definitely liked me. I suggested we meet for a beer. He said, 'Yes'. This was weeks ago. I have taken your forecasts to mean he'd be in touch but it's evident now he won't. Lilly

Dear Lilly,
In attaching too much importance to this flighty fellow, you're giving him power. The positive lesson for you now may involve becoming more self-reliant, from which the power to properly attract what you truly need will surely come. Please look for wider meaning in your forecasts.

Officially, there's a New Moon today. Actually, to all intents and purposes, we're deep in the Dark of the Moon. Since the dawn of time itself, the Moon has been our natural timepiece, informing us of the date by its phase, of the time by its height and, by its comparative position relative to the sky's 'fixed stars', of the celestial season. A time of each month, therefore, when the Moon effectively vanished had great significance. It still has. This is a weekend when we can all expect secrets to come to light and to reveal inspiring magical insights.

The planets don't know what time of year it is. Or rather, they do but they have a different way of marking time. An astrologer's words must acknowledge the season that many folk are starting to celebrate, yet acknowledge the truth of the heavenly situation. Mercury's conjunction to Pluto this month is as close as we get to a celestial suggestion of seasonality. It indicates candid communication between people who might otherwise be reluctant to share essential information. If nothing else, this means we may discover what some of our nearest and dearest are truly hoping for this Christmas.

Remember, your Love Forecast today does not just cover romance. A love forecast may also have something to say about your family life, your closest friendships and even some of your most important working relationships.